| Abstract: | Tremendous progress in the therapy of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been achieved through combination cytotoxic chemotherapy, leading to high cure rates, at the cost of significant life‐threatening toxicity. The bispecific T‐cell engager blinatumomab, recently approved for relapsed/refractory ALL, has a unique nonmyelotoxic toxicity profile. As blinatumomab causes B‐cell depletion, the safety of its use during severe chemotherapy‐induced toxicity is unclear. We report 11 pediatric patients with ALL, treated with blinatumomab following overwhelming chemotherapy‐associated toxicity, with recovery of all patients and successful bridging to further antileukemia therapy. Blinatumomab can be considered for rare patients who cannot tolerate cytotoxic therapy. |
